Avonte Oquendo Found: East River Body Parts Match Autistic Teen’s DNA
Avonte Oquendo has been found. The search for the missing Long Island autistic teen is finally over. Body parts that washed up on the East River last Thursday match those of the missing Avonte Oquendo.
As reported by The Inquisitr last week, another teen found what appeared to be an arm and some clothing along College Point in Queens, NY. Eventually, recovery teams would pull out an arm, two legs, a torso, and clothing matching the description of what Avonte was wearing upon his disappearance last October. The clothing police found were a pair of Jordan’s and jeans of the same brand and size Avonte Oquendo was wearing on October 4th, 2013.
“The sneakers apparently were tied pretty tightly to his feet,” family attorney, David Perecman, told the media. “He had socks on, which means the skin condition of his feet are good enough to obtain a print from.”
More items were recovered on Sunday when a skull washed ashore in the same area. Although 12 teeth were missing from the head, police were very close to certain that this was indeed the body of Avonte Oquendo.
At the time of the discoveries, Perecman would not release much further information, but described the news as troubling and said the family “was having a hard time”. The family submitted DNA samples, including a toothbrush, to medical examiners for testing. On Tuesday, the results came in.
Avonte Oquendo’s story became national news, because he was teenage boy with autism who was able to walk out of his school around 12:30pm and disappear. His family never gave up on the hope that he would be found. The search effort spanned several states and lasted more than three months. Although authorities offered a $95,000 reward and received more than 1,000 tips, no sign of the teen was found. As Avante is fascinated with the subway system, his family feared he was hopelessly lost.
The family is expected to release an official statement through Perecman this afternoon. In a time of mixed emotions, the family hopes to find some comfort in the reality that son and brother Avonte Oquendo has been found. Man people sent their condolences through Twitter.
May the God of hope & peace send his love to the family of #AvonteOquendo. Parents’ should never have to bury a child, ever. RIP Avonte.
— Robert Mitchell (@RLM_3) January 21, 2014
my prayers are with Avonte Oquendo’s family.
— Russell Simmons (@UncleRUSH) January 21, 2014
REPORT: DNA confirms remains found in Queens, NY, are Avonte Oquendo’s, law enforcement source says; family has been notified – @NBCNews
— NewsBreaker (@NewsBreaker) January 21, 2014
The DNA confimation about Avonte Oquendo was expected but still heartbreaking.
— The Last Mohican© (@700MIKE) January 21, 2014
